Uribe’s brother could face trial for crimes against humanity

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A group of lawyers are seeking court proceedings to try a paramilitary group and their alleged founder, the brother of former President Alvaro Uribe, for crimes against humanity.

This petition was presented on Thursday as part of a series of accusations against Santiago Uribe for his alleged involvement in aggravated conspiracy and links with paramilitary groups.

A spokesman for the lawyers group, Daniel Prado, said before the hearing that “today we will request that the crimes committed by the paramilitary group be tried as crimes against humanity.”

The attorney added that they would be including in their effort allegations of 33 homicides in the municipality of Yamural, Antioquia, that are said to have taken place between 1993 and 1994, and that he would be taking the case before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.

Uribe will have to answer questions about his alleged connections with the “12 Apostles” as the group was called. Lawyers representing victims are claiming that he was a full-fledged member of the group.

The defense attorneys of the former President’s brother asked the court to annul the case, claiming the charges are false and the plaintiffs included false witnesses.

The Uribe family has long faced accusations of ties to death squads aligned with paramilitary umbrella organization AUC; The former president is currently investigated for forming the “Bloque Metro” paramilitary group while cousin Mario, a former Senate president, was convicted for using paramilitary intimidation to get elected into Congress.